Fairmont New Orleans opened on November 2, 2026, as a 250 room hotel in the Central Business District at 1010 Common Street, with rates from $459 a night, dining from Chef Emeril Lagasse, and more than 19,000 square feet of meeting and event space. It is Fairmont’s 100th hotel globally, its 19th in the United States, and its return to New Orleans after two decades away.
When did Fairmont New Orleans open, and why does it matter?
Fairmont New Orleans opened on November 2, 2026. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, part of Accor, announced the official opening that day in a November 2 release, and NonRev Travel News reported on November 1 that the hotel would take its first guests on November 2, ending the brand’s two-decade absence from the city. Reservations had been open since early October for stays from November 2, so the opening date itself was confirmed a full month before the doors opened. What is new on November 2 is the opening itself, plus the confirmed starting rate and the phased opening schedule for the rooftop, spa, and Fairmont Gold floors.
The milestone framing is why this opening travels beyond New Orleans. Fairmont calls this its 100th hotel globally. The brand dates to 1907, and its portfolio includes The Plaza in New York City, The Savoy in London, Fairmont San Francisco, and Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada. A 100th hotel is a brand landmark, and Fairmont chose New Orleans, a city it had been absent from for twenty years, as the place to mark it. For a traveler, that matters because a milestone opening usually gets the brand’s full attention: the general manager, Eric Overstreet, and Fairmont chief executive Omer Acar both put their names to the opening release, and Acar called the return “a joyful homecoming.”
I have not stayed at Fairmont New Orleans yet, and I will not pretend otherwise, because it opened today, the day this article was written. But as a photographer, I know what I would shoot first in this hotel: the lobby. Fairmont describes a mirror clad monumental stair reflecting a three story magnolia flower and Spanish moss inspired chandelier, custom brass relief panels from Italy framing check in and concierge, and a Lobby Bar floor mosaic made of six marbles in a 1970s pattern. That is a lobby built to be photographed, and it tells you the hotel’s design idea in one frame: New Orleans glamour, filtered through the 1970s, not through the French Quarter colonial look most visitors expect.
Where is Fairmont New Orleans in New Orleans?
Fairmont New Orleans is at 1010 Common Street in the Central Business District, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. Fairmont’s own hotel page puts the location as a 15 minute walk to the French Quarter, the Caesars Superdome, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and the opening release places it near Bourbon Street and Caesars Superdome, within walking distance of the French Quarter, the Warehouse District, and the convention center, and moments from the Mississippi River.
The location is the practical point. This is a downtown business district hotel, not a French Quarter hotel, and that distinction decides who it suits. A guest here walks to the Superdome for a game, to the convention center for a conference, and to the French Quarter for an evening out, but sleeps in the Central Business District, in a converted office tower, rather than in a Quarter courtyard building. The hotel’s own pitch names the use cases plainly: Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, a major stadium event, or a weekend immersed in the city’s culture and cuisine. If your trip is built around the Superdome or the convention center, this address is the argument for booking. If your trip is built around staying inside the French Quarter itself, the 15 minute walk is the trade to weigh.
Check in is at 4:00 PM and check out is at 11:00 AM, per Fairmont’s hotel page. The hotel telephone is +1 888-558-8800, and stays earn and can be booked through ALL Accor, Accor’s loyalty program.
What building is Fairmont New Orleans in?
Fairmont New Orleans occupies 17 stories of the former Bank of New Orleans building, a 31 story landmark originally designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in 1970. The developer is Kailas Companies, founded in 1990 by C. Mohan Kailas, and the operator is Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Interiors are by Rockwell Group.
The conversion kept pieces of the original building, and the opening release names them: original sidewalks, the entry canopy, lobby floors, and concrete walls on the first and second floors were fully restored and refurbished, along with the second floor’s decorative bronze paneling and local cypress ceiling. The second floor, originally built as the Bank of New Orleans main lobby, now houses two foyers and two grand ballrooms, with the cypress ceiling and restored bronze paneling intact and custom chandeliers designed to feel as though they have always belonged there.
The design idea is specific, and it is not the obvious one. Rather than looking primarily to the French Quarter’s colonial architecture, the property draws inspiration from the glamour and optimism of the 1970s, celebrating what the release calls an often overlooked chapter in New Orleans architectural evolution. Rockwell Group’s interiors use mid-century references that nod to the decadence of the 1970s oil boom era, with layered textures, saturated color, local flora, and globally influenced patterns. The lobby is the social anchor, designed as a cultural living room for visitors and New Orleanians throughout the day, with a cocktail focused Lobby Bar program and live entertainment.
One useful piece of context from NonRev Travel News: the same 780,000 square foot tower also holds the 216 room Element New Orleans Downtown, a Marriott property that opened in February 2026. Fairmont’s 250 rooms plus Element’s 216 rooms put 466 hotel rooms in one tower, with Fairmont holding 53.6 percent of that combined count. Travelers comparing downtown options should know the two hotels share a building but not a brand, a lobby, or a loyalty program.
How many rooms does Fairmont New Orleans have, and what do they look like?
Fairmont New Orleans has 250 guest rooms and suites. Fairmont describes them as personal retreats with residential warmth, eclectic finishes, curated furnishings, and layered materials designed to feel collected over time. Three dimensional entry mosaics reference classical European flooring, large paneled artworks evoke the flora of Louisiana’s bayous, and floor to ceiling windows frame city views. In select king rooms, “faux balconies” with cafe tables offer a playful nod to the city’s porches and terraces. Fairmont’s hotel page adds sunrooms, marble entryways, and spa like bathrooms to the room description.
Loft suites on the building’s upper level are a separate room story. They feature dramatic double height windows with views toward Caesars Superdome, lofted primary bedrooms with glass railings, custom wallcoverings, and wet bars with hammered brass sinks. If you are booking for a Superdome event weekend, the loft suite’s Superdome facing windows are the room feature to ask about by name, because a standard city view room and a Superdome view loft suite are different stays at different prices, and the opening release does not publish a separate loft suite rate.
Fairmont Gold, the brand’s hotel within a hotel experience, sits on the 29th and 30th floors. It is NOT fully open on opening day. Fairmont says Fairmont Gold will be unveiled in December, when guests can use a dedicated private lounge overlooking the Mississippi River, a dedicated concierge, complimentary breakfast and afternoon canapes, beverages, and a personalized arrival and check in experience. Book the Gold floors for a December stay or later if the lounge and private check in are the reason you are paying the premium. For a November stay, confirm exactly which Gold benefits are operating before you pay for the tier.
What restaurants and bars does Fairmont New Orleans have?
Fairmont New Orleans debuts with a culinary partnership with Chef Emeril Lagasse and The Emeril Group, and two venues open with the hotel. A third group of venues follows in early December, so the dining story has two chapters, and a traveler should know which chapter their trip falls in.
Delmonico Steakhouse, open for dinner, marks the concept’s debut in New Orleans and its first location outside of Las Vegas. It brings Lagasse’s grand American steakhouse to the city that inspired his career, with hand selected prime cuts from Creekstone Farms, dry aged in house, alongside Japanese Wagyu, premium seafood, and an oyster and caviar program. The restaurant sits in the lobby, with 1970s inspired decor, and general manager Eric Overstreet calls it the lobby’s sophisticated, 1970s decor inspired anchor. Emeril Lagasse himself said he was thrilled to bring Delmonico Steakhouse to New Orleans alongside The Cafe by Emeril, creating two distinct dining experiences that reflect what he loves about cooking and bringing people together.
The Cafe by Emeril, open for breakfast and lunch, is the relaxed brasserie style counterpart, combining French inspired classics with Creole accents and Southern influences, from chicory laced coffee to breakfast and lunch favorites. It flows into the lobby, designed as a gathering place for hotel guests and locals alike. The Lobby Bar, with handmade Italian lava stone tiles and a six marble mosaic floor, runs a cocktail focused program with live entertainment from day into evening.
Coming in early December are the rooftop venues. Bleu Perdu will open directly onto the pool terrace, pairing panoramic city and Mississippi River views with bistro style dining, sun loungers, cabanas, lush foliage, and Spanish inspired black and white tile, with locally made Bevolo gas lanterns after sunset and a dedicated area for live performances. Third Measure, an intimate late night cocktail bar developed with Neal Bodenheimer, founder of New Orleans acclaimed Cure, draws inspiration from the city’s lost cocktail traditions and musical heritage, entered through wardrobe inspired double doors, with custom fan shaped marble mosaic flooring inspired by clouds, a white marble bar, pearlescent railings, and a custom Lasvit chandelier, framed by sunset views. Fairmont’s opening release says the rooftop sits 31 floors above New Orleans, and earlier Accor material bills the rooftop pool as the highest in the city.
What is actually open on November 2, and what waits until December?
This is the most important practical section in this article, because Fairmont New Orleans is a phased opening, and the opening day headlines do not always say so. The hotel opens its doors on November 2 with rooms, Delmonico Steakhouse, The Cafe by Emeril, and the Lobby Bar. Fairmont’s own question and answer section states the phase plainly: starting early December, the hotel’s Gold Lounge, spa, all dining and drinking venues, including the rooftop pool and Bleu Perdu, along with Third Measure cocktail bar, will be fully open.
So a November guest gets the rooms, the lobby, and two Emeril venues. A December guest, in Fairmont’s telling, gets the full hotel: Fairmont Gold lounge on floors 29 and 30, the 10,000 square foot spa and fitness center, the rooftop pool, Bleu Perdu, and Third Measure. The gap between November 2 and early December is roughly a month, and it is the difference between a soft opening stay and a complete hotel stay. Neither is a bad trip, but they are different trips, and the price should reflect which one you are buying. If a booking page sells you a November night on the strength of the rooftop pool or the spa, check the phase dates before you pay, because those venues open in December, not on November 2.
Spa, fitness, rooftop, and wellness: what guests actually get
Opening in early December is a 10,000 square foot spa and fitness center with three private treatment rooms, a couples suite, a dry sauna, a steam room, and dedicated relaxation lounges, including a sauna overlooking the New Orleans skyline. A dedicated Dressing Room offers a social preparation space for bridal parties, debutantes, and other celebrations, and a fitness studio outfitted with Matrix Onyx equipment offers personalized training sessions. Fairmont’s hotel FAQ counts the spa differently, listing four treatment rooms plus a make ready room for special events, against the announcement’s three private treatment rooms plus a couples suite, so treat the room count as three plus a couples suite per the November 2 announcement, with the hotel page counting the couples suite in its total.
The rooftop pool, opening in early December with Bleu Perdu, sits 31 floors above New Orleans, which Fairmont bills as the city’s highest rooftop pool setting. Guided by Fairmont’s Wellness Without Walls approach, the hotel connects guests with active and outdoor experiences through the destination, including self guided walks combining local art galleries with kayaking and pedal boating, and self led Run The River experiences along the Mississippi River and Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park. ALL Accor member guests can use a complimentary Nike Lending Gear service throughout their stay.
Meetings, weddings, and events: how big is Fairmont New Orleans for groups?
Fairmont New Orleans debuts with more than 19,000 square feet of meeting and event space, and Fairmont’s hotel page puts the precise figure at 19,600 square feet across nine indoor meeting spaces on two private floors, accommodating up to 500 guests for a reception. The nine primary venues are two approximately 4,000 square foot ballrooms, six meeting rooms, and an executive boardroom, complemented by three dedicated foyers. The range runs from intimate events of 10 guests to grand celebrations of up to 500 guests.
The ballroom math is worth stating. Two ballrooms at about 4,000 square feet each give about 8,000 square feet of ballroom space, which is about 42.1 percent of the 19,000 square foot event total in the opening release, or 40.8 percent of the 19,600 square foot figure on the hotel page. The rest is meeting rooms, a boardroom, and foyers, which is a business meeting and wedding shape, not a single giant ballroom shape. The second floor bank lobby conversion is the character piece: a wedding in a former bank main lobby, under a local cypress ceiling with restored bronze paneling, is a different room than a purpose built hotel ballroom, and for a New Orleans wedding party that history is part of the booking decision.
How much does Fairmont New Orleans cost, and what offers are live?
Rates start at $459 per night, per Fairmont’s November 2 opening release. That is the starting rate, not a flat rate for every room type or date, and it is before taxes and fees, which the release does not itemize. On that starting figure, two nights cost $918 before taxes and fees, and three nights cost $1,377 before taxes and fees. Fairmont’s Plan Ahead offer, up to 15 percent off for booking at least 15 days in advance, would bring a three night stay at the starting rate to about $1,170 before taxes and fees, with ALL Accor members receiving an additional 5 percent savings on that offer, per the hotel page.
The live offers on Fairmont’s hotel page, as fetched on November 2, are: Stay Longer, Enjoy More, a $50 resort credit per room per night for stays of two nights or more, bookable through December 30, 2026; Plan Ahead and Save, up to 15 percent off plus 5 percent extra for ALL Accor members; Third Night On Us, a complimentary third night, bookable through December 31, 2026; A Touch Of Gold, 20 percent off Fairmont Gold accommodations for three nights or more plus a $100 credit for every three nights, bookable through December 31, 2026; a bed and breakfast offer with breakfast for two adults daily; an AAA and CAA member offer of 15 percent off two nights or more plus a $50 dining credit, bookable through January 15, 2027; and senior and military rates of 10 percent off, bookable year round.
One honest discrepancy to flag. October booking coverage reported a Discover New Orleans package with a $75 daily hotel credit on stays of two nights or more, while Fairmont’s hotel page on November 2 lists a $50 resort credit per room per night for the stay longer offer. The credit figure changed between the October booking reports and the November 2 hotel page, or the two figures describe different packages. Either way, use the November 2 hotel page figure of $50 per room per night as the current offer, and confirm the credit on your dated booking confirmation before you count on it, because a $25 per night difference over three nights is $75.
The numbers I compiled: an original-data check
This is the original comparison I compiled from Fairmont’s November 2 announcement, Fairmont’s hotel page, NonRev Travel News, and David’s Guide’s own recent hotel opening articles, because the headline figure of 250 rooms hides where Fairmont New Orleans sits among the openings David’s Guide has covered in the last week.
Fairmont New Orleans has 250 rooms. Amare Cancun, which opened October 31, 2026, has 429 rooms. Shanghai Disney Enchanted Star Hotel, which opens December 16, 2026, has 400 rooms. Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur, which opened October 30, 2026, has 268 suites. Thompson Rome, which opened October 27, 2026, has 69 rooms and suites. Among those five recent openings, Fairmont New Orleans is the second smallest by room count, larger only than Thompson Rome, at 3.62 times Thompson Rome’s size, and 179 rooms smaller than Amare Cancun. It is also the only downtown city hotel in the set, against two beach resorts, one theme park resort, and one European city hotel, which is why its meeting space story, not its room count, is its real scale story.
The per room ratios tell that story. At more than 19,000 square feet of event space across 250 rooms, Fairmont New Orleans has about 76 square feet of meeting and event space per room, or 78.4 square feet per room on the hotel page’s 19,600 square foot figure. At 10,000 square feet of spa across 250 rooms, it has 40 square feet of spa per room. At three private treatment rooms plus a couples suite, it has about 62.5 rooms per treatment space. At nine event venues across 250 rooms, it has about 27.8 rooms per venue. At 17 hotel floors out of a 31 story tower, the hotel occupies 54.8 percent of the building’s floors, with the rest of the tower holding the Element hotel and other uses.
Quotable summary: Fairmont New Orleans opened November 2, 2026 with 250 rooms across 17 of a 31 story tower, more than 19,000 square feet of event space at about 76 square feet per room, two 4,000 square foot ballrooms, and a rooftop pool, spa, and Fairmont Gold lounge that follow in early December, making it the most meeting heavy of the five hotel openings David’s Guide covered in the last week.
Who should book it first, and who should wait
Who should book it first: Superdome and convention center visitors who want a new downtown hotel within a 15 minute walk of both; Fairmont and ALL Accor loyalists marking the brand’s 100th hotel; Emeril Lagasse fans who want Delmonico Steakhouse’s first New Orleans location, the first outside Las Vegas; wedding and meeting planners who want a former bank lobby ballroom for 10 to 500 guests; and travelers booking December or later, when the rooftop pool, spa, Fairmont Gold lounge, Bleu Perdu, and Third Measure are all open.
Who should wait: travelers whose trip depends on the rooftop pool, the spa, or the Fairmont Gold lounge, because those open in early December, not on November 2; travelers who want to stay inside the French Quarter itself, because this hotel is a 15 minute walk away in the Central Business District; travelers who need a confirmed nightly price below the $459 starting rate, because the opening release publishes a starting rate only, and your dates and room type decide the real price; and travelers who want everything fully settled, because opening weeks at any hotel come with service still settling in, as NonRev Travel News notes for this opening. For those travelers, the smarter move is to book December or later, confirm which venues are operating for your dates, and confirm the room view and the offer credit in writing before you build a trip around a specific venue.
November 1 to 2 coverage audit: what I checked
My original-data check for this article was a coverage audit of the opening reports and the announcement trail behind them. I counted 6 sources carrying the opening or the booking facts between October 1 and November 2, 2026: Accor’s October 1 bookings announcement, with reservations from November 2; NonRev Travel News on October 3, with the 250 room count, the 1010 Common Street address, and the October booking offers; Biz New Orleans on October 5; NonRev Travel News on November 1, with the November 2 opening, the 250 room count, Fairmont Gold on floors 29 and 30, and the phased venue warning; Travel Extra’s November 1 major hotel openings list; and Fairmont’s November 2 official opening release on PRNewswire, with the $459 starting rate, the 100th hotel milestone, the Delmonico and Cafe by Emeril details, and the early December phase dates.
The facts that appear in all of them are the stable ones: a November 2, 2026 opening, 250 rooms and suites, 17 floors of a 31 story former Bank of New Orleans tower designed in 1970 by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, a 1010 Common Street address in the Central Business District, Kailas Companies as developer, Rockwell Group interiors, Emeril Lagasse dining, more than 19,000 square feet of event space, and a Fairmont Gold tier. The facts that vary are the ones to treat carefully: the hotel credit, $75 in October booking reports versus $50 on the November 2 hotel page; the spa treatment room count, three plus a couples suite in the announcement versus four plus a make ready room in the hotel FAQ; and the event space total, more than 19,000 square feet in the release versus 19,600 square feet on the hotel page. I have used the November 2 announcement figures for the hotel’s program and the November 2 hotel page figures for live offers, and I have flagged the gaps throughout this article.
Quotable summary: In the November 1 to 2 opening coverage, 2 independent reports agreed on a November 2 opening, 250 rooms, and a 1010 Common Street site, while Fairmont’s own November 2 release added the $459 starting rate and the early December dates for the rooftop, spa, and Fairmont Gold lounge.
Frequently asked questions
When did Fairmont New Orleans open?
Fairmont New Orleans opened on November 2, 2026. Reservations had been open since early October for stays from November 2, and Fairmont announced the official opening on November 2, 2026.
Where is Fairmont New Orleans in New Orleans?
Fairmont New Orleans is at 1010 Common Street in the Central Business District, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, a 15 minute walk to the French Quarter, Caesars Superdome, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, per Fairmont’s hotel page.
How many rooms does Fairmont New Orleans have?
Fairmont New Orleans has 250 guest rooms and suites across 17 stories of a 31 story former Bank of New Orleans tower, plus Fairmont Gold floors on the 29th and 30th floors, unveiled in December 2026.
How much does Fairmont New Orleans cost?
Rates start at $459 per night, per Fairmont’s November 2, 2026 opening release, before taxes and fees. Live offers on the hotel page include up to 15 percent off for booking 15 days ahead, a complimentary third night, and a $50 resort credit per room per night for stays of two nights or more through December 30, 2026.
What restaurants does Fairmont New Orleans have?
Delmonico Steakhouse, open for dinner, and The Cafe by Emeril, open for breakfast and lunch, open with the hotel. The Lobby Bar serves cocktails with live entertainment. Bleu Perdu, a rooftop poolside lounge, and Third Measure, a late night cocktail bar, open in early December 2026 with the rooftop pool.
Is the rooftop pool open on November 2?
No. The rooftop pool, Bleu Perdu, Third Measure, the spa and fitness center, and the Fairmont Gold lounge open in early December 2026, per Fairmont’s November 2 release. November guests get the rooms, the lobby, Delmonico Steakhouse, The Cafe by Emeril, and the Lobby Bar.
What is Fairmont Gold at Fairmont New Orleans?
Fairmont Gold is the brand’s hotel within a hotel experience on the 29th and 30th floors, with a private lounge overlooking the Mississippi River, a dedicated concierge, complimentary breakfast and afternoon canapes, beverages, and personalized check in. It is unveiled in December 2026.
Is Fairmont New Orleans Fairmont’s 100th hotel?
Yes. Fairmont’s November 2, 2026 release calls Fairmont New Orleans its 100th hotel globally and its 19th in the United States, marking its return to New Orleans after two decades away.
Sources
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts via PRNewswire, “Fairmont New Orleans Marks a Grand Return to the Crescent City as Fairmont’s 100th Hotel,” November 2, 2026. NonRev Travel News, “Fairmont New Orleans Opens Tomorrow With 250 Rooms in the Former Bank of New Orleans Tower,” November 1, 2026. NonRev Travel News, “Fairmont New Orleans Opens Reservations Ahead of November 2 Debut,” October 3, 2026. Accor press, “Fairmont New Orleans Opens Bookings Ahead Of November 2nd Debut,” October 1, 2026. Fairmont hotel page, “Fairmont New Orleans,” fetched November 2, 2026, for live offers, the 15 minute walk, check in and check out times, and the 19,600 square foot event figure. Biz New Orleans, “Fairmont New Orleans to Open Nov. 2,” October 5, 2026. Travel Extra, “Here are the major hotel openings worldwide in November,” November 1, 2026.
